M. Lynne Murphy 104lyn[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]muse.arts.wits.ac.za
Department of Linguistics phone: +27(11)716-2340
University of the Witwatersrand fax: +27(11)716-4199
Johannesburg 2050
SOUTH AFRICA
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Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 12:41:24 CST
From: Ellen Johnson Ellen.Johnson[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]WKU.EDU
Subject: Re[2]: Questions about immigrants' learning of English
I have read (with statistical evidence to back it up) that immigrants
today are not learning English any slower than previous immigrants.
More Spanish is spoken today due to new immigration and, maybe?,
bilingualism, but there is not less English-learning going on. I
would like to have some statistics on this myself, having forgotten
where I read this even, not to mention the numbers themselves!
For linguists on the list (or anyone wishing to read an article
written at graduate student/ scholarly level) I would recommend
heartily Judith Rodby's article "A Polyphony of Voices: The
Dialectics of Linguistic Unity and Diversity in the 20th century US"
in Machan and Scott, English in its Social Context (includes BEV and
discusses social forces that are central to issues of language
change). For more accessible reading, any of journalist James
Crawford's books and essays are excellent.
I think the rate of acquisition by the first generation varies by
ethnic group and era, though the second generation almost always
speaks English fluently. Rodby says that when Mexicans were able to
find permanent jobs [as opp. to temporary migratory work which they
have been "imported" to do for years], send their children to school,
and interact with English speakers they too shifted to English.
Villanueva in his autobiography *Bootstraps: From an American
Academic of Color* (NCTE; so postmodern it is almost impossible to
read), distinguishes between groups that came here voluntarily and
those who didn't, e.g. with ancestors who became Americans due to
slavery or imperialism (SW, Puerto Rico). An essay I read by Jim
Cummins also notes a difference btw those who have only (well..) lg to
contend with and those who must contend with alienation from racial
prejudice as well.
Certainly age plays a part. Cubans differed from other Hispanic
groups (at least pre-Mariel) in being mostly middle-to-upper-class,
light-skinned, and educated and they learned English very quickly due
to social and ideological motivations to assimilate (very
pro-American, anti-Communist). But as an immigration officer in Miami
for a year, I interviewed numerous little old ladies returning from
Cuba (who could visit their families for a month, even though I'm not
allowed to vacation for a week there) with their US Passports proudly
in hand who hardly spoke a word of English. Their social networks
were limited to their neighborhoods in Hialeah, etc. Why should they
be forced to learn English to "show their gratitude"? Sociolinguistic
studies of the effects of networks and participation therein could
benefit a lot from studying such patterns of language shift.
Ellen.Johnson[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]wku.edu
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Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 12:11:37 -0700
From: "Enrique Figueroa E." efiguero[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CAPOMO.USON.MX
Subject: Re: Spanglish usage (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 12:06:19 -0700 (MST)
From: Enrique Figueroa E. efiguero[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]capomo.uson.mx
To: 104lyn[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]muse.arts.wits.ac.za
Subject: Re: Spanglish usage (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 12:02:05 -0700 (MST)
From: Enrique Figueroa E. efiguero[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]capomo.uson.mx
To: Rose Nash ROSENASH[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]WORLDNET.ATT.NET
Subject: Re: Spanglish usage
I imagine "give me a break" could be felt and freely translated into
Spanish as "dame un respiro" (which perfectly meets both the litteral and
the figurative meanings in English), expression which, in its turn, can
be "felt" as closer to "gimme a chance". By the way, couldn't "gimme a
chance!" and "gimme a break!" function as synonyms in certain cases? For
example, when asking someone to "get off one's back", to stop annoying you?
MF
On Mon, 10 Mar 1997, Rose Nash wrote:
This morning at the local supermercado in Puerto Rico I noticed a
promotional poster advertising a contest awarding free products as prizes.
On the poster, in big red attention-getting letters, were the words "DAME UN
BREAK". I couldn't quite figure out the meaning in that context, and asked
the manager how he would say this another way (I didn't dare suggest 'pure'
Spanish). His answer was "DAME UNA OPORTUNIDAD" which I would freely
translate as "Give me a chance [to win]."
I thought that the English expression "Give me a break" referred literally
to a coffee break or other work interruption, and figuratively to a respite
from stress, problems, annoyances, etc. Apparently, from the poster
evidence, it did not enter Spanish with these meanings. Have any of you
Spanglophiles out there come across this usage?
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Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 12:11:24 -0700
From: "Enrique Figueroa E." efiguero[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CAPOMO.USON.MX
Subject: Re: Spanglish usage (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 12:04:42 -0700 (MST)
From: Enrique Figueroa E. efiguero[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]capomo.uson.mx
To: "M. Lynne Murphy" 104LYN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MUSE.ARTS.WITS.AC.ZA
Subject: Re: Spanglish usage
Yes, you're right. For instance, a break of good luck. See also what I
answered to Rose (I'm forwarding it to you). Best regards, MF
On Mon, 10 Mar 1997, M. Lynne Murphy wrote:
rose nash said:
This morning at the local supermercado in Puerto Rico I noticed a
promotional poster advertising a contest awarding free products as prizes.
On the poster, in big red attention-getting letters, were the words "DAME UN
BREAK". I couldn't quite figure out the meaning in that context, and asked
the manager how he would say this another way (I didn't dare suggest 'pure'
Spanish). His answer was "DAME UNA OPORTUNIDAD" which I would freely
translate as "Give me a chance [to win]."
I thought that the English expression "Give me a break" referred literally
to a coffee break or other work interruption, and figuratively to a respite
from stress, problems, annoyances, etc. Apparently, from the poster
evidence, it did not enter Spanish with these meanings. Have any of you
Spanglophiles out there come across this usage?
this is not spanglophilia, but anglophilia, but i hope it's of
interest nonetheless. my first impression is not necessarily that
'break' is borrowed into spanish with only one of its possible
meanings (and then weirdly used in an idiom that usually gets another
sense), but that it's a bit of code-switching which expects the
audience to know enough about the word "break" in english to get the
pun. i agree that "gimme a break" usually has the meaning of "give
me relief from something ridiculous", but "break" does have the
'chance/opportunity' sense as well, as in "i'm just waiting for my
big break." so, if i were to see "give me a break" on an english
poster for a contest, i'd understand "break" with the opportunity
sense just like the grocer did.
lynne
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